[Congressional Record Volume 152, Number 38 (Thursday, March 30, 2006)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E469]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                    CONGRATULATIONS TO MOLLY GOODMAN

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                          HON. SANDER M. LEVIN

                              of michigan

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, March 30, 2006

  Mr. LEVIN. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to congratulate Molly Goodman as 
she and her family commemorate the tenth anniversary of her victory 
against ovarian cancer.
  Mrs. Goodman, like so many women stricken with this disease, never 
suspected that her abdominal and gastrointestinal pain concealed a 
Stage 3 ovarian cancer diagnosis. The cancer, which had spread from 
Mrs. Goodman's ovaries to parts of her abdomen, was discovered during a 
surgery to remove her gall bladder.
  We can only imagine the worry that must accompany such a diagnosis. 
The five-year survival rate for Stage 1 ovarian cancer is approximately 
ninety percent. This figure drops, drastically and devastatingly, to a 
fifteen to twenty percent chance of survival once the cancer has 
elevated to Stage 3. Mrs. Goodman was fortunate not only to receive 
immediate surgery and chemotherapy to treat the disease, but also to 
qualify for a limited protocol providing a second round of 
chemotherapy. No signs or symptoms of the cancer's reoccurrence have 
since appeared.
  I commend Phil Goodman, Molly's husband, for using this ten-year 
milestone, one of joy and reflection, to contribute to the National 
Ovarian Cancer Coalition. By sharing Mrs. Goodman's story, the couple 
not only celebrates Mrs. Goodman's survival, but also raises awareness 
about the severity of ovarian cancer.
  We here in Washington need to do our part to raise awareness about 
risk factors and early warning signs for ovarian and other gynecologic 
cancers. In this Congress and the last, I introduced Johanna's Law: The 
Gynecologic Cancer Education and Awareness Act, which would require the 
federal government to take action to increase early detection of 
gynecologic cancers and ensure that other women never have to go 
through what Molly Goodman did. Our bill currently has over 230 
cosponsors, and we are doing everything we can to make it law.
  Mr. Speaker, I ask my colleagues to join me recognizing Molly Goodman 
on this momentous occasion and to share in her hope that we continue to 
make progress in diagnosing and defeating this terrible disease.

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